Console makers are scrambling to find new ways to let players interface with games. They’re making some good attempts; say what you want about the kind of games available for the Kinect, at least the hardware allows players to control them in a new way. The same is true for iphone games that rely entirely on touchscreens and accelerometers, as is the endless array of motion-sensitive accessories for the Wii. Furthering the search for new ways to play electronic games are the Sifteo Cubes. The Sifteo Cubes have been around for a year, but there’s a new version of them coming out this November. We had the chance to try out the new version while at PAX Prime last month.
The cubes look like ipod Nanos, about an inch and a half square, with a surface composed entirely of a touchscreen. Aside from responding to a finger tap or slide, they also react to being tilted, and can sense the impact of two cubes being tapped together. They’re the sort of gizmo that immediately draw people into picking them up and playing with the simple interface, even before learning how the larger game mechanics work.
The cubes are sold in sets of three, and the games for them are all designed to involve several cubes, not just one. The cubes are all wirelessly connected to a hub that lets them communicate with each other. This allows players to control characters that can be moved from one cube to another, for example. It is intended to create the sort of play that comes with classic children’s toys like blocks and jacks.
But there is more to playing games on the Sifteo Cubes than just tapping away at the screen or fiddling with the accelerometer. One game for the cubes has a bit of Scrabble to is as each cube has a set of letters that can be aligned with the letters on other cubes when they’re moved around.
Another game is a gem-matching puzzler that requires players to move the cubes around in order to set colored gems in a row. There’s also an adventure game where players must navigate a labyrinth by arranging the cubes in the proper sequence then guiding an on-screen character from each cube to the next.
There are four pack-in games that will come with them at launch, but the developer has several new titles underway. Around the time the cubes hit the market, there will be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that has players guiding the turtles past traps and hazards in the sewers. A few other games have been announced as well, including some more grown-up puzzlers.
However, there is one game on the way for Sifteo cubes that will definitely appeal to the hardcore gamer audience. This yet-unnamed title is being created by Richard Garfield of Magic The Gathering fame. There’s no information on that one, but it’s certainly going to have strong attraction for fans of Garfield’s hit collectible card game.
The basic set runs one hundred and thirty dollars for three cubes and the base (Which wirelessly connects the cubes). However some games are designed to work with up to 12 cubes, and additional cubes can be bought for thirty dollars each. The new version of the Sifteo Cubes will be released in November, and are not compatible with the current ones that can still be found at some retailers. Check back with Explosion.com in November after we’ve had a closer look with the final product. In the meantime, more information is available at www.sifteo.com.
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